Denture cleaners



Aug. 9, 1966 R. R. HARRISON 3,265,369

DENTURE CLEANERS Filed Oct. 9, 1964 v 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Alum-mum Ed .529. F K INVENTOR. 23 ROBERT HARRISON ATTORNEY Aug. 9, 1966 HARRISON 3,265,369

DENTURE CLEANERS Filed Oct. 9, 1964 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

ROB

AITORNEY United States Patent Ohio Filed Get. 9, 1964, Ser. No. 402,909 7 (Ilaims. (Cl. 259-108) My invention relates to denture cleaners and relates more particularly to electrically driven apparatus for cleaning the same.

The denture cleaner of my invention comprises a container for dentures, said container having cleaning solution therein, an impeller rotatably mounted therein, the said impeller being driven by motor means mounted in a stand for said container, through magnetic coupling means.

It is an object of my invention to provide improved means for and improved agitation of the solution in such a container to the end that the cleaning of dentures placed in the container of my invention may be quickly and safely accomplished and all surfaces simultaneously reached by the cleaning solution and uniformly cleaned.

It is a further object of my invention to provide improvements in denture cleaning apparatus of the type described wherein the parts thereof may be readily disassembled for cleaning, and wherein the parts are simple in structure and durable in use, inexpensive to manufacture and maintain.

Other and further objects of my invention and the invention itself will become more readily apparent from a review of the description and claims appended hereto, in which description reference is made to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical sectional view of a denture cleaner in accordance with the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a view of the container of FIGURE 1 taken from the line 22 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the container of FIG- URES l and 2 with the top removed for clarity;

FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of the impeller of my invention;

FIGURE 5 is a bottom plan view of said impeller;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view of the impeller of FIG- URES 4 and 5;

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view of the impeller of FIG- URES 4 to 6 inclusive and magnet assembly;

FIGURE 8 is a side view of the container of FIG- URES 1 to 3 inclusive;

FIGURE 9 is a top plan view of the top of the container of FIGURES l to 3 inclusive;

FIGURE 10 is a sectional view of the cover of FIG- URE 9.

Referring now to the drawings, in all of which like parts are designated by like reference characters, in FIG- URE 1, I show the denture cleaning apparatus of my invention comprising a circular, closed bottom, cup shaped denture container 10; the container being detachably mounted upon a base or stand 11, a source of power such as a motor 12, being disposed in the stand for rotatably driving a disc-shaped impeller 13 through discshaped magnetic coupling means 14 mounted on rotor drive shaft 15 and circular magnetic means 16 carried in a socket 17 formed in the underside of the impeller 13.

The impeller, as is the container, is preferably formed of Delrin or other suitable plastic or other material, and is provided with a plurality, shown as three in number, of spaced integrally associated blades 18 on its upper surface, these extending radially from the centrally disposed hub 19 extending upwardly of the impeller disc 13. The impeller hub 19 is provided with a through bore ice 20 which preferably is provided with flutes 21 interrupted by vertical rib portions 22 to permit the fluid solution contained in the container to circulate within the bore. The circular face 13' of the impeller is provided, as shown, with a downwardly extending peripheral flange 23 providing the socket 17 for the apertured magnetic wafer 16 bonded thereto as at x, the flange 23 being preferably heat staked thereto, as shown at x. The blades 18 may be of various shapes but preferably are formed, as shown, with inwardly tapered upper edges 26 descending to the face portions 13' surrounding the hub for centripetal agitation of the fluid, the impeller blades vertical outer faces 27 producing centrifugal flow.

The impeller 13 is journalled for rotation on a stub shaft or spindle 28 preferably integrally formed with and centrally and upwardly extending from the flat under surface 29 of a well 30 formed by the bottom surface 29 and inwardly and downwardly curved annular surfaces 31 surrounding the same.

The spindle 28 is provided with a reduced upper portion 28' heat staked over the hub upper surface 19' as shown at y in FIGURE 1. The container 10 is provided with circular inner walls 32 having a plurality, three in number being shown, of integrally formed circumferentially spaced vanes 33; said vanes extending from the annulus 31 to portions 34 of said walls adjacent the upper peripheral top seating inner surfaces 35 thereof. The vanes 33 have a propeller or agitator action and are formed with vertical portions 36 of generally uniform cross-sectional width throughout a major portion of their height, as shown, and with outwardly and upwardly tapered portions 37 diminishing in width as they approach the upper edge thereof.

The vanes 33 are preferably provided with vertically disposed notches 39 which guide and secure a circular concave screen 40 into secure engagement with the container, said screen overlapping the annulus 31 and impeller assembly of FIGURE 7 spaced above said impeller assembly but preventing accidental displacement thereof during removal or upsetting of the container as for changing solution, etc.

The top 50 provided for the container is, as shown, a dished disc with a central aperture or air opening at 51 and is surrounded by an outer peripheral downwardly extending flange 52 inwardly of the outer circumference of the top, the top resting on the upper surfaces of the container 13 and its flange 52 abutting the inner circumferential edges 35 of the container. As shown, the aperture 51 is provided with a stiffening rim 53 and a plurality of ribs 54 circumferentially disposed about the under surfaces of the top and inwardly of the flange 52 are provided for reinforcing the top and acting as locating guides therefor.

The container 10 is provided with an inwardly and downwardly projecting annular bottom flange 60 providing a shoulder 61 outwardly thereof; the base 11 has an upwardly projecting annular flange 62 seating the container 10, the flange 60 thereof abutting the inner periphery of the flange 62 and the flange 62 having a shoulder 63 abutting the shoulder 61 of the flange 60.

In operation, during rotation of the impeller, the impeller blades 18 direct a flow of an aqueous solution or cleaning agent which is preferably at a suflicient level to cover the dentures which may be measured at the top of the uniform dimensional vane portion 36, both centripetally toward the undersurfaces of a denture placed on the screen support and outwardly and centrifugally thereof toward the inner walls of the container. The wall vanes 33 divide the flow and direct the same inwardly at a plurality of spaced positions about the container to scour or cleanse the upper surfaces of said denture,

air being entrained in the fluid agitation to assist in the cleaning process.

While the invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be apparent that numerous and extensive departures may be made therein, as for example, other applications of the same than for cleaning dentures, or variants, such as differences in shaping, positioning, number of blades and vanes, etc., without, however, departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus comprising a cup-shaped container for cleaning solution having a substantially circular side wall and having a bottom formed with a centrally disposed well portion having a flat bottom surface, a base for said container, a circular disc, said disc having a plurality of propeller blades mounted thereon, a source of motive power disposed within the said base, a magnet within the base driven by said motive power, said disc housing a magnet, said latter magnet seated within the bottom of said well and adapted to be rotated by rotation of the magnet within the base driven by said motive means, said disc propeller blades are disposed radially on the upper surface of said disc, and said disc is provided with a centrally disposed hub projecting therethrough, said hub projecting through the magnet housed in said disc, said hub provided with means permitting fluid circulation therein.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the walls of said container are provided with a plurality of vanes extending inwardly thereof adapted to sub-divide the flow of said cleaning solution arising from the vortex created 4 by the rotation of said magnetically coupled disc and disc mounted propeller blades.

3:. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the wall of said container is provided with a plurality of inwardly extending vanes disposed about the inner circumference of said wall at spaced locations thereof said vanes each provided with a vertical portion of uniform cross-section andan inwardly tapered upper portion terminating in a region adjacent the upper portion of the container.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 having a removable cover, said cover having a central opening therein.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1 having a centrally apertured cover, said cover having an annular peripheral flange portion adjacent its outer periphery depending therefrom and abutting the inner upper edge portions of said Wall.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a spindle is provided in the well portion, the disc journalled for rotation on said spindle.

7. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the disc propeller blades extend radially from a hub disposed centrally of said disc and have upper edges tapering inwardly and downwardly at an angle to said hub.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,549,121 4/1951 Osterheld 2591()8 3,132,657 5/1964 Ciccone 134-188 CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS COMPRISING A CUP-SHAPED CONTAINER FOR CLEANING SOLUTION HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY CIRCULAR SIDE WALL AND HAVING A BOTTOM FORMED WITH A CENTRALLY DISPOSED WELL PORTION HAVING A FLAT BOTTOM SURFACE, A BASE FOR SAID CONTAINER, A CIRCULAR DISC, SAID DISC HAVING A PLURALITY OF PROPELLER BLADES MOUNTED THEREON, A SOURCE OF MOTIVE POWER DISPOSED WITHIN THE SAID BASE, A MAGNET WITHIN THE BASE DRIVEN BY SAID MOTIVE POWER, SAID DISC HOUSING A MAGNET, SAID LATTER MAGNET SEATED WITHIN THE BOTTOM OF SAID WELL AND ADAPTED TO BE ROTATED BY ROTATION OF THE MAGNET WITHIN THE BASE DRIVEN BY SAID MOTIVE MEANS, SAID DISC PROPELLER BLADES ARE DISPOSED RADIALLY ON THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID DISC, AND SAID DISC IS PROVIDED WITH A CENTRALLY DISPOSED HUB PROJECTING THERETHROUGH, SAID HUB PROJECTING THROUGH THE MAGNET HOUSED IN SAID DISC, SAID HUB PROVIDED WITH MEANS PERMITTING FLUID CIRCULATION THEREIN. 